Sheriff Jean Stanfield announced that that her department has received a new infusion of grant dollars to assist Burlington County’s senior citizens in securing their homes against crime, fire and power outages.
Stanfield said that the Home Security Program now is accepting applications to provide seniors and individuals with disabilities free home security surveys and safety modifications.
“Our technicians provide a top-to-bottom survey and, where necessary, can install at no charge a number of security items, including door and window locks, peep holes, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors,” Stanfield said.
“It also gives us the opportunity to make them aware of the most common and latest frauds and scams,” said Stanfield. “This is a totally free program and really, one that every older resident should take advantage of.”
Interested residents should call (609) 265–5796 to register. To qualify, at least one person in the household must be 60 years of age or older.
Other security/safety items that may be installed free of charge include reflective house numbers, lamp timers, power failure lights, and “med-info” packets which provide emergency responders with important medical information about the residents.
Stanfield said the program has been in operation for more than 20 years and typically serves 300 homeowners a year.
In addition, the program’s crime prevention specialists are available to give home security workshops and presentations to clubs, churches, and civic and community groups.
The program is being funded with $48,992 in pass-through grant funds, provided by the county’s Office on Aging.
